To most
of us, Madagascar is a huge, mysterious island somewhere over Africa
way. Even hardened trivia masters stumble when posed questions on this
enigmatic mini-continent. But chances are we could at least name one
or two of Madagascar's famous animals. If you said "Lemur"
or "Chameleon" you can count yourself amongst the cognoscenti!

Lemurs,
without too much contradiction, are the key wildlife attraction in Madagascar.
In fact without the lemurs, the world's fourth largest island would
have little else but bizarre botanic specimens to attract a trickle
of garden lovers.

The good
news is that there are a slowly growing number of preserved forests
in which these ancient primates can now survive. You see, Madagascar
is one of the most heavily deforested countries on earth, with over
85% of its cover removed for timber and slashed-and-burnt for agriculture.
Fifteen lemur species are already extinct thanks to man and the remaining
thirty-two are endangered, some critically.

The world
has come to know of these highly unusual animals thanks to the exploits
of an eclectic bunch of nature-loving Englishmen, primarily Sir David
Attenborough, closely followed by John Cleese
and the late Douglas Adams. The academic community has long been aware
of the biological significance of Madagascar and it is now vigorously
studied and researched. Significantly women appear to be leading in
this arena with such notable authors as Dr Alison Jolly, Kathryn Lasky,
Joyce A. Powzyk, Kathy Darling, Deborah Dennard and Dr Patricia Wright.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
also has several programmes under way.

Alison
Jolly can take most of the credit for kicking off modern study into
lemurs some forty years ago when she began visiting the Berenty Private
Reserve, 85 kms from Fort Dauphin in the island's south. As a result
of her landmark studies, Jolly opened the gates for countless other
researchers and, since the early 1980s, tourists.

The father
of the current owner, Henri de Heaulme, established the Berenty (Big
Eel) reserve in 1936 in tandem with his vast sisal plantations in the
semi-arid Amboasary region. Tens of thousands of hectares of the unique
dry spiny forest were cleared by de Heaulme and others to make way for
the imported fibre-producing plant. But when synthetic alternatives
were developed, the sisal industry all but collapsed and now only the
de Heaulme plantations remain.

Did de
Heaulme take pity on the homeless families of lemurs his burgeoning
crops had created when left a few hundred hectares for the new refugees?
In a Schindleresque sort of irony, de Heaulme's sisal empire may have
saved many species by protecting them from the much less discriminating
slash-and-burn techniques of the local Tandroy people. Whatever the
motivation, the result has been an intensely studied and vigorously
preserved parcel of forest that is now a microcosm of what was once
the entire region.

Today,
Jean de Heaulme presides over this important bio-reserve, welcoming
both academic researchers and inquisitive tourists to his 260-hectare
zoologic and botanic enclave. The result of all this attention is that
Berenty has become the premier location in Madagascar for viewing lemurs
and sifakas with the added attraction of its protected deciduous spiny
and tamarind forests providing habitat for almost one hundred species
of mostly endemic birds.

Visitors
will see the Ring Tailed Lemurs (Lemur catta) almost immediately
as a few of the troupes have become resident within the compound. But
lately these semi-tame animals have begun to show signs of malnourishment
as their diet of tourist-supplied bananas is withdrawn. The earlier
unregulated distribution of handfuls of bananas by uninformed visitors
created behavioural and dietary problems amongst some of the Ring Tailed
Lemurs. This scenario has created some debate between ardent naturalists,
who demand that hand feeding be stopped immediately, and tourism operators
whose clients expect some interaction for their money. Somewhere a happy
medium needs to be struck and Dr Jolly believes this is feasible.

She
suggests that with supervision and rationing the few dependent animals
can be slowly rehabilitated and a balance between self-reliance and
"treats" established. In contrast, those who live exclusively
in the forest, and away from temptation, are flourishing. The White
Sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi verreauxi), on the other hand, have never
shown much interest in the human interlopers - and who can blame them.
Instead they loll about in the trees choosing the tastiest leaves and
buds and occasionally hop down for a merry skip across the open ground,
providing another distinctive visual experience for guests.

As a further
enhancement, Berenty has a small museum, a very satisfactory restaurant
and bar as well as a small zoo containing tortoises and crocodiles.
The wide paths within the forests are easily navigated with or without
a guide and are best explored at either dawn or dusk when animal activity
is at a height.

The nearby
spiny thickets offer a startling variation to the riverine gallery forests
down by the River Mandrare. The Sifakas are equally at home in either,
finding nourishment and moisture in the prickly Didierea while cleverly
avoiding the nasty-looking thorns. Night walks in this forest will reveal
the two nocturnal lemurs; the Lepilemur and Pygmy Mouse Lemur.

Visiting
Berenty takes some prior arrangement. By staying at any of the De Heaulme
family hotels in Fort Dauphin (Tolognaro) you can arrange a visit and
obtain a small discount. Berenty is not cheap. A day tour from Fort
Dauphin is about A$100/person in a group or double that alone, but an
overnight stay is strongly recommended. Of course, when travelling in
a group tour, all this will be taken care of.

Report
and photographs by Roderick Eime - who travelled to Madagascar
and Berenty in September 2003

Travel
Tips:

Madagascar
is best suited to open-minded travellers with an interest in nature,
ecology and culture. Photographers and videographers will be in
their element, so take plenty of film and tape. Be prepared for
minor disruptions to travel schedules and have patience with service
staff - they work at their own pace.

Fact
File:

Best
time to visit: May to OctoberVisas: Three month validity. Obtain prior to arrival.Health: Take precautions against malaria, hepatitis and
diarrhoea.Best currency to use: EuroElectricity: mainly European 220V standard

Getting
There: Australians will need to fly via Mauritius utilising
a combination of Air Mauritius, Air Austral and Air Madagascar.
It can be complicated and schedules vary, so consult an experienced
agent.

Getting
Around: Air Madagascar operates a comprehensive internal network
that is definitely the way to cover longer distances. Keep road
travel to short distances as conditions vary enormously.

Travel
to, and accommodation at, Berenty is best organised as part of
a complete travel package, although committed independent travellers
can make their own arrangements at local hotels in Fort Dauphin.

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